**Ideal Mass Celebration*

        The best, most appropriate and perfect Mass would be one celebrated with Jesus alone (God alone) being placed in the spotlight, all in attendance – priest, musicians, servers, ushers, the entire congregation – doing nothing to make themselves noticeable. To love God is to focus upon him alone and forget about ourselves.

**Same Prayers!

        Communion experience. The Lord made me see that all my prayers were prompted by the Holy Spirit, thus they were his prayers! Therefore, they will be answered.

*Know the Holy Spirit

        The Holy Spirit who descended upon the disciples on Pentecost is the same Spirit who wishes to enter to dwell in us today. Yes, the Lord Spirit is to be experienced, but do not expect to see or hear anything entering you externally, but know that he is within you when you welcome him and become aware of his sweet holy presence, speaking to your heart and guiding all your thoughts and your ways. 

A World Not Knowing Humility

        One Time, as St Teresa was traveling the rugged roads of Spain, her saddle slipped and she fell off the donkey into a muddy stream she was crossing. Complaining to the Lord, she heard him say, "Teresa, whom the Lord loves, he also chastises. This is how I treat all my friends." She responded tartly, "No wonder you have so few!" The saint was being witty, but there is truth in her remark. Today our world is not willing to accept any chastisements, having lost all humility, and the generations have been self-centered ever since. By the way, this is Pentecost Sunday, the day celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension, and the world is pretty much dead to the living Spirit. How foolish can we be without the guidance of the Spirit, not knowing nor caring about where we are heading!

*Bittersweet Part of Christian Life

        Jesus said at his trial before Pontius Pilate, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." (John 18.36.) As followers of the Lord in this hostile secular world, we can't help feeling that we do not belong here. As it is, this is the bittersweet part of living for Christ, a form of spiritual martyrdom.

Rule for Following God

        In yesterday's Gospel reading from John 21, Jesus signified to Peter the kind of death by which he would glorify God. In today's reading from the same chapter, Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John, the other disciple, Jesus said to Peter, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me." Here was given the succinct rule for following the Lord: we must follow him single-mindedly with no concern about the future of anyone or anything. 

All-Embracing Trust in God

        Trusting in God is meaningful only if we trust him in everything. And trusting him in everything requires that we seek his will in everything first. Then we trust that he will take care of our past wounds, present needs, and future everything through eternity and that all our prayers will be answered in due time. It's an all-embracing trust that our Lord deserves.

Wise & Appropriate Action

        In today's Gospel reading from John 21 at Mass, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. I hear Jesus speaking to each of us: "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you grow old, someone will dress you and lead you where you may not want to go." This is true, and I see that "following Jesus" would be the exact wise and appropriate action for us to take. This was exactly what the Lord asked Peter to do afterwards.

**Guide to Cool Living

        In living our life, we do numerous things. Here's the basic guide I believe in. Whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God and, fun or no fun, we enjoy doing it without getting attached to it. 

**Our Cross to Bear

        The more you get to know Christ, the greater your joy; but at the same time, the more you feel his sorrow for the world which does not listen to his voice, and his sorrow becomes yours too. Then, feeling the burden, you turn to the Lord even more for consolation. The cycle continues on. To be one with Christ is to share his joys as well as his sorrows. This is the cross we must bear willingly for and with him in this life. This we know, if we remain in him, all our sorrows will turn into joys in the end. 

Only One

        Communion experience. God is the only one whom I can trust with my soul and in whom I can rest my spirit.

Greatest Mercy

        The One who has the greatest love also has the greatest mercy. We can be merciful at times, but only God's mercy is infinite and possesses saving power.

God's Desire

        On this memorial of St. Justin, Jesus in the Gospel reading from John 17 prayed for all those the Father had given him to be one with him, as he and the Father are one. This is God's desire that we all be in union with him. It is the lack of this union that has fractured the Church in the past and caused chaos throughout the world today. Intimate union with God is our only hope for assured salvation.

Completion of Journey on Earth

        The human heart is restless, causing all kinds of thoughts to go through the mind continuously. It seems powerless for us to keep it still, until you come to know and put your trust in God. The Lord our creator is the only one who can put our restless heart to rest, for he has made it that way. By submitting ourselves to him, our journey on earth is complete and we receive his peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

*Love's Concern

        The Lord God loves all of us and wants to give us eternal life. Therefore, if you truly love someone, your would want that person to go to heaven. We often try hard to make a person happy in this world, but fail to consider the eternal wellbeing of that person's soul.  

Doing God's Will

        Jesus went through the horrible sufferings and death no human would want to undergo. He did it because it is the will of the Father. It shows that we must let the will of God override all other considerations. This makes discerning God's will all the more important.

**In Proper Perspective

        Putting things in perspective. If you know that you are going to heaven to remain there forever, whatever pains, sufferings, sorrows, agonies, miseries ... you go through and experience in this short life on earth becomes practically nothing. On the other hand, if you know that your going to be separated from God for all eternity after you die, all the riches, wealth, prestige, power, fame ... you enjoy now becomes absolutely nothing.

Fulfilled Promise

        Today's Communion antiphon based upon Jesus' words from John14 and 16: I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you again, and your heart will rejoice. To those who know the Lord well or are in union with him, they know that he has not only come, but is dwelling in their very heart. 

Role of the Christian

        Today's entrance antiphon based upon the words of Jesus to his disciples in Acts 1: You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you will be my witnesses, even to the ends of the earth. I see that the role of the Christian is to let the Holy Spirit empower him to become the best possible effective witness of Christ.

*God's Understanding Matters

        We who believe and trust in God are not to seek human understanding on earth, but to know and follow God's will coming from heaven. Without faith in God, human beings simply learn from and influence each other, and can never rise above themselves. In seeking to do the will of God, we enjoy private communication and spiritual communion with him. All God desires is that we follow his will in peace and he'll understand us perfectly.

Jesus' Descension

        Communion thought. Even after Jesus' Ascension, he still descends to us to sustain, nurture, console, guide, and uplift us through the Holy Eucharist.

**Urgent Notice

        Either Jesus will come in our lifetime or we'll see him right after we die. So the time is definitely short. This makes knowing him now all the more urgent.

*Reason for Wanting to Going to Heaven*

        The primary reason you want to go to heaven should be that you love God. To love him is to want to follow him and be where he is. To love him is also to want to please him, as his ardent wish is to give you eternal life. 

As Sure as Ascension

        Today's entrance antiphon, Acts 1.11: Men of Galilee, why gaze in wonder at the heavens? This Jesus whom you saw ascending into heaven will return as you saw him go. This was said by two men dressed in white garments who suddenly appeared beside the disciples who were looking intently at the sky after seeing Jesus being lifted up and taken from their sight by a cloud. This account of the Ascension as witnessed by many is undeniable. It's also inevitable that he who has ascended will return again.

Pleasing God Most Pleasing

        Today is Ascension of the Lord. Before Mass began at church, I felt good that I was where God wants me to be – there is nothing that makes one happier than knowing that he lives to please God. I saw that this is how God has made us.

Strong Messages, Weak Messages

        A message is weak if we say what we want to say, even with my best effort. It becomes strong only when we say what the Lord inspires us to say. Ego or self-centeredness has no place in spreading the good news of Christ. In fact, it has no place in anything we do. Only by entering the Lord deeply can we be freed from our ego completely. 

*All and Forever

         When God decided to save us, he gave all of himself. When he gives life, he makes it eternal. His love for us is forever. The joy he gives stays with us too. When he forgives us, we are all clean. Because he loves us, he wants all (not part) of us to be his forever. We are blessed that He is most thorough.

God Is Fair and Just

        Sad headline news from Egypt: ISIS opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians on their way to a monastery, killing at least 29, including many children. This was only the most recent in a wave of attacks on these Christians and their Church. What are we to think? Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus came to my mind. Lazarus was the poor man, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. (The rich man also died, but he went to the netherworld and suffered torment.) I have no doubt that God would take care of the souls of these children of his who were tragically slaughtered, for he knows our hearts, thoughts, words, and deeds. All of us shall be judged by him and receive exactly what we deserve in the end. We need to trust in our God no matter what happens.

*Call to Yield to God

        God's message for salvation is straight forward and simple to understand – you do not need to explain it like rocket science, yet people do not accept it readily. So it's not the mind, but the heart that gets in the way. To overcome this barrier, we must become like a child as Jesus had indicated. What we need is humility. Without it, we won't find God, let alone know him. The most humble Christ is our example and clue. God has already yielded himself to love. It's time for us to yield to him!

**Best Place to Be (Surefire Formula)

        Today's Communion antiphon, John 15: As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. To remain in Jesus' love to to remain in him, for he is love. There is no better place to be. In fact, this is part of the simple surefire formula for getting into heaven: Remain in Jesus and let God take care of the rest.

*Joy Over Pain

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus, with his departure from the world and succeeding Resurrection in mind, said to the disciples, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you." Jesus was right, for we know that once we get to heaven, our joy will make us forget all the pains and anguish we suffered on earth. Start rejoicing now if you know you are heaven bound. Do not forget that the daily Mass is a celebration of the Lord's sacrifice resulting in our salvation. [A footnote. No one will take your joy away from you: the joy God gives is a joy that stays with you forever.]

**Way to Union (Winning Feeling)*

        When you let God transform you and the transformation takes place, you are amazed and can get quite excited, for something you've tried to change on your own without success God now does it effortlessly. Even though the Lord did the work, you can't help feeling that you have won! Now your relationship with him is more intimate than ever. As you continue to let God perfect you, the same thing happens again and again. You are on your way to union with him.

Looking Beyond This Life

        The most recent terrible tragedy is the terrorist attack in Manchester, England, which killed 22 and injured many more. One lesson we can learn from this is that all the more we need to look beyond this life and make settling our eternal destination our first priority. Most people do not think about it for various reasons. Only the ones who have put themselves completely in God's hands know that they will be fine no matter what happens to them.

*Christ Is Everything

        Life is imperfect until you have Christ. Your joy is incomplete until you have Christ. Your eternity is unsettled until you have Christ. You are nothing until you have Christ. You have everything when you have him.

God Is Peace

        Communion experience. The world is in chaos, but I am at peace with God, in peace with God, and in peace in God. 

*Smart Rise to Top

        We all want to rise above ourselves. Let Christ determine our destiny and we will end up where he is.

Us Too

        Jesus had his Resurrection and Ascension. Do you know that by his power, we'll have ours too?

Planning for Eternity

        A saint is one who loves God. A mystic is one who also loves God, knows him well and communicates directly with the Lord. Do not ever say that you cannot be a saint or a mystic, for nothing is impossible with God. It follows that you can store up treasures in heaven now, get there and inherit what God has for you later. God is your limit who has no limits. Use your brief time on earth for planning and readying yourself for eternity and God will make everything come true. 

**Our Tragic Error

        Since God is our loving creator, Father, and Savior, who can accomplish anything he wants, it would be indeed most foolish of us not to believe in, appreciate, or trust him. Not seeking union with him is falling short of taking full advantage of what he has to offer – a tragic error on our part, relatively speaking. It's like being offered a most precious pearl and you just admire and enjoy looking at it, but stop short of reaching for it to claim that it is all yours.

*God Is With Us

        In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus said to his disciples: "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me." His disciples first did not know what he meant. Of course, Jesus was telling them about his coming death and resurrection. We need not to be concerned about whether we see him or not, for later he promised that he would be with them always, until the end of the age. Every time I receive the Holy Eucharist, he enters me and unites with me in the most intimate way. As long as I am still alive and breathing, I know that he is with me, for my very existence depends upon him.  

Our Ideal State

        It's been my experience that as long as I remain in Christ, I have inner peace. The moment I step out of him to be on my own, that peace gets disturbed. We are in the ideal state when we have Jesus at our center with us remaining in total submission to him.

**Jesus My Center

        Jesus draws me to him, making me see that he is the absolute indispensable center of my life. He keeps me safe, for nothing can take me away from him! And he feeds me and fills my cup with living water continuously. Remember that he's the one who would turn the left cheek to the one who strikes him on the right one, hand his cloak to someone who wants to go to law with him over his tunic, and go with anyone for two miles when pressed into service for one mile? (Matthew 5.39-41.) In the same manner, even though my faith is limited, he always gives me more than I ask for. How can I possibly not love my most generous Lord?

Self-Generated Fear

        Know that if you feel uneasy about abandoning yourself or just turning to God, it is not God who wants to instill fear in you. How can he when all he wishes is to love and be intimate with you as your Father? If you hesitate or feel uneasy, that's because you are resisting him, thereby generating your own fear. May this understanding clear the way for you to approach God.

Aging Is a Blessing

        In my younger days, I pushed myself as hard as I could when working out in a gym. Now, my foremost concern is not to risk any injury when I exercise, walk, or just get out of bed. Aging slows one down, but does make you turn to God more. In this way, you are wiser. At last, a dreamer turns into a realist, and that should be one best thing that ever happens to you.     

**Jesus Essential!

        When I hear the sweet voice of Jesus in my heart, I feel his presence, his love, his mercy, his gentleness, his assurance, deep joy, gratitude, consolation, and my oneness with him. He is all we need, for there is nothing greater or more satisfying than God our creator. It's time for all prodigal sons and daughters to go home.

Treating God the Father

        With Father's Day coming up next month, this question came to me: Shouldn't we treat our heavenly Father at least as well as we treat our earthly fathers? 

Two Most Important Prayers

        To help us love God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength, we need to pray that we will always be obedient to God in all things and that he will lead all souls to heaven. 

Signs of Indwelling Holy Spirit

        How do you know that the Holy Spirit dwells in you? In the early days, I wasn't sure. I did not exactly expect to see a white dove or tongues of fire landing on me, but some tangible sign would surely help. Of course, you cannot see the Holy Spirit, for he works within your heart. Now I know that when you sense Christ's presence, hear him speaking to your heart, feel the urge to call on the Father, pity anyone who is suffering, can't help wanting to witness for the Lord, experience joy at the thought of God, yearn to be one with him, or . . . – all these are signs that you have the indwelling Spirit. This is the Jesus who promised that he would be with us till the end of the age.

**Disempowering Satan

        This is quite simple. Focus entirely upon God, letting him replace your ego fully with his humility, and you become invisible to Satan. Seeking to attain union with God will take care of all that and more. 

What I Admire About Jesus

        What impresses me about Christ is that even though he is God, he has zero ego, never boasted about his power, and always told straight the truth. We can be like that only with God's help. He is the Lord who never attempts to lord it over us.